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Beer 21: a tasty Bell’s ‘Best Brown’ Clone

I don’t make Brown Ale’s often. It’s not that I don’t like them – I like them just fine – it’s more that I don’t want to invest the time to make one. I mean, I can only make so many beers in one year; I could be making something epic like an IPA, Belgian Tripel, Barley Wine, or Scotch Ale. However, we are hosting a retirement party for my father-in-law, and this is the perfect beer. When I think of an excellent Brown Ale, I look no further than the largest craft brewery in my state: Bell’s Best Brown Ale (which, by the way, is located about 2 miles from my house). Brown in color, crisp, malty, slight sweetness, clean water profile, burnt caramel notes, toffee, hints of raisin (I made most of that shit up but I think that’s what I’m supposed to say when talking about a Brown Ale). I cannot remember where I got this recipe from – probably a book at the library – but I do remember it was a credible source.

This beer has a phenomenal aroma. The caramel nose is very impressive, actually. The flavor seems spot on. This beer checks all the boxes: malty, slight sweetness, caramel, raisin, toffee, etc. I like it. I think the water profile could be cleaner and crisper but, other than that, I’m not sure how to improve this beer. It’s a nice Brown. I would like to swap out the 2-row with Maris Otter, and see how that tastes. I also wonder what Safale US-04 would taste like, instead of US-05.